Art: Nathaniel Himawan · ™ & © Wizards of the Coast

Derevi, Empyrial Tactician

WUG

Legendary Creature — Bird Wizard · from $3.52

Flying When Derevi enters and whenever a creature you control deals combat damage to a player, you may tap or untap target permanent. {1}{G}{W}{U}: Put Derevi onto the battlefield from the command zone.

Build with this commander Start with a starter shell Card details, printings & prices

A typical Commander deck

A starting template, not a rule — counts to fill in around the commander.

Lands3736–38 for most decks; fewer with cheap curves
Ramp10mana rocks, dorks, land ramp — mostly 2–3 mana
Card draw10repeatable engines beat one-shot cantrips
Targeted removal6answers for creatures AND artifacts/enchantments
Board wipes3sweepers reset boards you've lost
Synergy & win conditions33the deck's actual plan

Staples in these colors

The 100 cards that fit this color identity in the most EDHREC decklists (EDHREC rank via Scryfall).

Budget

58 of 100 at $5 or less · 39 at $1 or less

#	Card	Type	MV	Price
1	Sol Ring	Artifact	1	$1.07
2	Command Tower	Land	0	$0.26
3	Arcane Signet	Artifact	2	$0.34
4	Exotic Orchard	Land	0	$0.19
5	Reliquary Tower	Land	0	$4.28
6	Swords to Plowshares	Instant	1	$0.98
7	Swiftfoot Boots	Artifact	2	$1.43
8	Lightning Greaves	Artifact	2	$3.86
9	Path of Ancestry	Land	0	$0.16
10	Path to Exile	Instant	1	$0.71
11	Counterspell	Instant	2	$1.33
12	Fellwar Stone	Artifact	2	$0.47
13	Rogue's Passage	Land	0	$0.31
14	Evolving Wilds	Land	0	$0.09
15	Cultivate	Sorcery	3	$0.38
16	Thought Vessel	Artifact	2	$2.23
17	Farseek	Sorcery	2	$0.42
18	Beast Within	Instant	3	$0.49
19	Nature's Lore	Sorcery	2	$2.15
20	Rampant Growth	Sorcery	2	$0.39
21	Heroic Intervention	Instant	2	$9.28
22	Terramorphic Expanse	Land	0	$0.10
23	Myriad Landscape	Land	0	$0.25
24	Mind Stone	Artifact	2	$0.21
25	An Offer You Can't Refuse	Instant	1	$3.01
26	Birds of Paradise	Creature	1	$4.98
27	Polluted Delta	Land	0	$19.85
28	Kodama's Reach	Sorcery	3	$1.55
29	Flooded Strand	Land	0	$12.78
30	Three Visits	Sorcery	2	$5.55
31	Skullclamp	Artifact	1	$4.85
32	Solemn Simulacrum	Creature	4	$0.27
33	Misty Rainforest	Land	0	$35.98
34	Bloodstained Mire	Land	0	$14.54
35	Fabled Passage	Land	0	$0.65
36	Windswept Heath	Land	0	$11.19
37	Rhystic Study	Enchantment	3	$61.06
38	Wooded Foothills	Land	0	$17.96
39	Verdant Catacombs	Land	0	$29.16
40	Scalding Tarn	Land	0	$36.86
41	Marsh Flats	Land	0	$32.04
42	Arcane Denial	Instant	2	$1.88
43	Commander's Sphere	Artifact	3	$0.19
44	Negate	Instant	2	$0.12
45	Arid Mesa	Land	0	$31.40
46	Cyclonic Rift	Instant	2	$29.75
47	Llanowar Elves	Creature	1	$0.24
48	Breeding Pool	Land	0	$9.15
49	Hallowed Fountain	Land	0	$6.97
50	Generous Gift	Instant	3	$0.93
51	Smothering Tithe	Enchantment	4	$56.09
52	Swan Song	Instant	1	$10.72
53	Ancient Tomb	Land	0	$56.94
54	Brainstorm	Instant	1	$0.56
55	Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth	Land	0	$56.13
56	Boseiju, Who Endures	Land	0	$50.48
57	Yavimaya, Cradle of Growth	Land	0	$16.76
58	Esper Sentinel	Creature	1	$58.03
59	Temple Garden	Land	0	$6.57
60	Fierce Guardianship	Instant	3	$59.21
61	Temple of the False God	Land	0	$0.19
62	Chromatic Lantern	Artifact	3	$0.38
63	Otawara, Soaring City	Land	0	$26.57
64	Glacial Fortress	Land	0	$0.21
65	Garruk's Uprising	Enchantment	3	$0.39
66	City of Brass	Land	0	$9.17
67	The One Ring	Artifact	4	$109.88
68	Hinterland Harbor	Land	0	$0.28
69	Frantic Search	Instant	3	$0.82
70	Mystic Remora	Enchantment	1	$10.97
71	Elvish Mystic	Creature	1	$0.35
72	Prairie Stream	Land	0	$0.19
73	Canopy Vista	Land	0	$0.22
74	Teferi's Protection	Instant	3	$34.90
75	Cavern of Souls	Land	0	$47.72
76	Propaganda	Enchantment	3	$1.84
77	Sakura-Tribe Elder	Creature	2	$0.30
78	Mana Confluence	Land	0	$34.75
79	Urza's Saga	Enchantment	0	$34.67
80	Mana Drain	Instant	2	$50.65
81	Lotus Petal	Artifact	0	$35.11
82	Eternal Witness	Creature	3	$1.10
83	Enlightened Tutor	Instant	1	$21.99
84	Wayfarer's Bauble	Artifact	1	$0.31
85	Sunpetal Grove	Land	0	$0.28
86	Roaming Throne	Creature	4	$47.06
87	Ashnod's Altar	Artifact	3	$8.15
88	Yavimaya Coast	Land	0	$0.31
89	Talisman of Progress	Artifact	2	$0.25
90	War Room	Land	0	$0.79
91	Adarkar Wastes	Land	0	$0.34
92	Ponder	Sorcery	1	$1.82
93	Rejuvenating Springs	Land	0	$4.12
94	Delighted Halfling	Creature	1	$25.91
95	Herald's Horn	Artifact	3	$2.88
96	Mana Vault	Artifact	1	$91.59
97	Pongify	Instant	1	$2.21
98	Chrome Mox	Artifact	0	$51.19
99	Windfall	Sorcery	3	$4.78
100	Ghostly Prison	Enchantment	3	$5.72

Curve of these staples

Most played with Derevi, Empyrial Tactician

The 25 most-played cards in 105 settled top-16 lists running Derevi, Empyrial Tactician at 16+ player events since Mar 7, 2026, ranked by lists played — top-4 counts shown for context. Results from Topdeck.gg.

#	Card	Played in	Top 4
1	Sol Ring	99% · 104 of 105	29
2	Birds of Paradise	98% · 103 of 105	29
3	Breeding Pool	98% · 103 of 105	29
4	Command Tower	98% · 103 of 105	29
5	Hallowed Fountain	98% · 103 of 105	29
6	Misty Rainforest	98% · 103 of 105	29
7	Mystic Remora	98% · 103 of 105	29
8	Emiel the Blessed	97% · 102 of 105	29
9	Esper Sentinel	97% · 102 of 105	29
10	Flooded Strand	97% · 102 of 105	29
11	Force of Will	97% · 102 of 105	29
12	Temple Garden	97% · 102 of 105	29
13	Windswept Heath	97% · 102 of 105	29
14	Mana Vault	96% · 101 of 105	29
15	Mindbreak Trap	96% · 101 of 105	29
16	Mockingbird	96% · 101 of 105	29
17	Otawara, Soaring City	96% · 101 of 105	29
18	Rhystic Study	96% · 101 of 105	29
19	Silence	96% · 101 of 105	29
20	Boseiju, Who Endures	95% · 100 of 105	29
21	Fierce Guardianship	95% · 100 of 105	29
22	Gaea's Cradle	95% · 100 of 105	28
23	Savannah	95% · 100 of 105	28
24	The One Ring	95% · 100 of 105	28
25	Tropical Island	95% · 100 of 105	27

Combos with Derevi, Empyrial Tactician

The 10 most popular of 116 combos (by EDHREC decklist count) using this commander that fit its color identity, from Commander Spellbook.

Derevi, Empyrial Tactician + Emiel the Blessed + Gaea's Cradle
Infinite blinking · Infinite creature ETB · Infinite creature LTB · Infinite green mana · Infinite mana permanents you control can produce
How it works on Commander Spellbook
Build around this combo
Bloom Tender + Derevi, Empyrial Tactician + Emiel the Blessed
Infinite creature LTB · Infinite creature ETB · Infinite blinking · Infinite mana of colors among permanents you control · Infinite mana permanents you control can produce
How it works on Commander Spellbook
Build around this combo
Derevi, Empyrial Tactician + Emiel the Blessed + Mana Vault
Infinite creature LTB · Infinite creature ETB
How it works on Commander Spellbook
Build around this combo
Derevi, Empyrial Tactician + Emiel the Blessed + Faeburrow Elder
Infinite creature LTB · Infinite creature ETB · Infinite blinking · Infinite mana of colors among permanents you control · Infinite mana permanents you control can produce
How it works on Commander Spellbook
Build around this combo
Derevi, Empyrial Tactician + Emiel the Blessed + Selvala, Heart of the Wilds
Infinite creature LTB · Infinite creature ETB · Infinite colored mana · Infinite blinking · Infinite mana permanents you control can produce
How it works on Commander Spellbook
Build around this combo
Chromatic Orrery + Derevi, Empyrial Tactician + Emiel the Blessed
Infinite blinking · Infinite creature ETB · Infinite creature LTB · Infinite colored mana · Infinite colorless mana · Infinite card draw · Infinite draw triggers · Infinite mana permanents you control can produce
How it works on Commander Spellbook
Build around this combo
Basalt Monolith + Derevi, Empyrial Tactician + Emiel the Blessed
Infinite creature LTB · Infinite creature ETB
How it works on Commander Spellbook
Build around this combo
Bloom Tender + Delney, Streetwise Lookout + Derevi, Empyrial Tactician + Card That Copies a Creature
Infinite creature LTB · Infinite creature ETB · Infinite death triggers · Infinite green mana · Infinite blue mana · Infinite mana permanents you control can produce · Infinite white mana
How it works on Commander Spellbook
Build around this combo
Delney, Streetwise Lookout + Derevi, Empyrial Tactician + Faeburrow Elder + Card That Copies a Creature
Infinite creature LTB · Infinite creature ETB · Infinite creature sacrifice triggers · Infinite death triggers · Infinite green mana · Infinite blue mana · Infinite mana permanents you control can produce · Infinite white mana
How it works on Commander Spellbook
Build around this combo
Derevi, Empyrial Tactician + Emiel the Blessed + Grim Monolith
Infinite creature LTB · Infinite creature ETB
How it works on Commander Spellbook
Build around this combo

Top finishes

The 8 most recent of 119 finishes placing top 16 at 16+ player events with this commander. Results from Topdeck.gg.

15th of 29 — IDubz Seasonal Series 4 Season 2 on Topdeck.ggOct 5, 2026 · 1–3–1 · by Cheyenne Lee
7th of 31 — Czech cEDH monthly tournament 10/2026 on Topdeck.ggOct 4, 2026 · 2–2–0 · by Petr Tejnský
10th of 30 — October cEDH Tournament! on Topdeck.ggOct 4, 2026 · 1–1–2 · by Chip Morgan
11th of 32 — WBAC - October Qualifier + Win a Dual on Topdeck.ggOct 3, 2026 · 1–1–2 · by Tim van Heusden
13th of 56 — TITANS OF THE UNDERGROUND INVITATIONAL on Topdeck.ggOct 3, 2026 · 1–1–4 · by Biscuit
16th of 119 — BAKED ZITI 4: Goldsabertooth’s NY cEDH on Topdeck.ggOct 3, 2026 · 3–3–1 · by Gabriel Rodriguez
2nd of 21 — FUNtainment cEDH Liga Opening on Topdeck.ggSep 26, 2026 · 1–1–2 · by Tomaz Azinhal
14th of 33 — cEDH @ Sit&Game 26.09.26 (Circuit-Event for Deutsche Meisterschaft) on Topdeck.ggSep 26, 2026 · 1–2–2 · by Maximilian Schütte

All 119 finishes →

Precons led by Derevi, Empyrial Tactician

Official preconstructed decks with Derevi, Empyrial Tactician at the helm.

Evasive Maneuvers
PreconCommander· Released Jun 2017
Evasive Maneuvers
PreconCommander· Released Nov 2013

Card data and images courtesy of Scryfall; popularity ranking from EDHREC decklist data included in Scryfall bulk. Combo data courtesy of Commander Spellbook. Tournament results courtesy of Topdeck.gg. Precon product lists via MTGJSON. Deckwarden is unofficial Fan Content and is not endorsed by Wizards of the Coast.

Commanders